The Secret Lives of Games

We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from a few years ago. And check out the new mobile version of Dicey Dungeons, and the free DLC! Terry Cavanagh (Super Hexagon, VVVVVV) joins us to talk about his fantastic roguelike deckbuilder, Dicey Dungeons. We discuss the thread of generosity in his game design, the challenges of working across genres, and what might be next for Terry! Show notes: Terry's distractionware.com Dicey Dungeons VVVVVV Super Hexagon Tiny Heist Stephen Lavelle Dream Quest 7 Day Roguelike Naya's Quest The Long Dark Super Hexagon playthrough at Fantastic Arcade Hearthstone Battlegrounds

Ben Esposito (Donut County, What Remains of Edith Finch) joins us to talk about his heavenly new card-powered, speedrunning FPS Neon White. We discuss making tight designs by keeping things loose, what a "career" of indie games feels like, and making games u wish 2 see on the Dreamcast. Show notes: Ben Esposito Neon White Donut County Arcane Kids Glitch City Super Meat Boy Killer7 Cowboy Bebop Trigun Hunter x Hunter GoldenEye 007 Lovely Planet Machine Girl Sonic Dreams Collection Perfect Stride CRAP! No One Loves Me Room of 1000 Snakes Arcane Kids manifesto

Card Shark creators Arnaud De Bock of Nerial (Reigns) and Nicolai Troshinsky join us to discuss their innovative new adventure game about cheating. We discuss its filmic inspirations, the narrative progression of chaining tricks, and designing a game loop of teaching and testing. Show notes: Arnaud De Bock Nicolai Troshinky Nerial Reigns Pikuniku UFO On Tape Loop Raccord Barry Lyndon The Expert at the Card Table Gambling Sleight of Hand - Steve Forte The Magic Castle

Knotwords creators Jack Schlesinger and our own Zach Gage chat to us about their elegant new logic puzzle word game. We discuss "cracking" the game design they'd been chasing forever, and how they created the puzzle/word generator that makes it great. Show notes: Jack Schlesinger Zach Gage Knotwords Nikoli puzzles Alcazar Two Not Touch puzzles Good Sudoku SpellTower+ Bit Pilot Wordle Calvin & Hobbes This episode edited by Dylan Shumway, thanks Dylan!

Mahdi Bahrami joins us to discuss his beautiful, mind-bending new puzzle game Tandis. We discuss teaching complex geometry concepts without any numbers, poetry as playtesting, and drawing a line through Mahdi's math-inspired oeuvre. Show notes: Mahdi Bahrami Tandis Engare Farsh ArsTechnica Tandis review Waldorf Education Mercator Projection

Tender Claws' Samantha Gorman and Danny Cannizzazo join us - alongside guest co-host Star St. Germain - to discuss their singular immersive theater experience The Under, creating an enriching social space in VR, and gameplay as an act of rebellion. Show notes: Tender Claws The Under Virtual Virtual Reality Star St. Germain Tumball Piehole The Severance Theory: Welcome to Respite Royal Shakespeare Company's Dream Talk 'n Play The Invention of Morel Uncle Roy All Around You Janet Cardiff Mary Sweeney Walkabout Mini Golf

Surprise! In the spirit of SMW's bonus worlds, we're back with a Special episode to cap off our deep-dive miniseries, as previous Into the Depths guests Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux take us on a tour of some of the coolest SMW ephemera yet! Show notes: Stephanie Boluk Patrick LeMieux Tons of links this week, so please check out this great syllabus that Patrick put together for us!

In the fifth - and final! - installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, streamer/speedrunner Grand POOBear joins us to discuss the uncanny valley of SMW Remade From Memory, and the masterful Super 'Sonic Saves the World' World romhack by the mysterious 'Maddy, allegedly'. Show Notes: GrandPOOBear The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe DougDoug SMW Remade From Memory Super 'Sonic Saves the World' World Grand Poo World 2 Invictus SMW romhack Luminescent SMW romhack Celeste.smc Spelunky 2 randomizer Celeste: Farewell

In the fourth installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable) joins us to discuss the infamous Star and Special worlds, and walk us through the ever-evolving, often hilarious culture of Kaizo Mario. Show notes: Davey Wreden The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe The Beginner's Guide Ivy Road Elden Ring VICE article The Japanese names for the Special courses Asshole Mario Stage 1 Asshole Mario Stage 10 Asshole Mario 2 Stage 9 Claustrophobia Kaizo hack Icing (game) The Complete History of Kaizo Mario Homework for next episode: SMW Remade From Memory Sonic Saves the World played by Grand POOBear

In the third installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, David Hellman (Braid) joins us to discuss the aesthetics of SMW, touch on its recent widescreen mod, and suffer through the game's worst world and level (while savoring the interesting bits). Show notes: David Hellman Braid: Anniversay Edition Satoru Iwata tribute The eyes on question mark blocks Mario shades of red SMW widescreen mod SMW jazz fusion album Homework for next episode: Star World Special World Watch some Kaizo/Asshole Mario World

Our friend Jake Kazdal (17-Bit) joins us for a (spoiler-free!) roundtable discussion of Elden Ring, in which we compare our experiences in FromSoftware's latest monsterpiece, consider the inseparable nature of its community, and deliberate its bolder design decisions. Show notes: Jake Kazdal 17-BIt Elden Ring Souls (series) Resident Evil 7 Nick's home invasion thread Clint Hocking on the virtues of exploration Lord of the Rings (films) Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Discovery Tour There's no such thing as an Elden Ring cheese Halo Infinite Bill Mudron on player summoning

In the second installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns of Metanet Software (N++) join us to talk about the inertia that makes Mario feel like Mario, the beautiful strangeness of the cape, and just how deep SMW's control quirks go. Show notes: Metanet Software N++ The Story of Super Mario World Elasto Mania Bernard Suits MineRalph Gish Tumbledown Drive Jiggly Zone Making History with Summoning Salt Kaizo Kindergarden The Decade-Long Quest for Shadow of the Colossus' Last Secret Retronauts on SMW Reverse Design: SMW Burned Mario and Luigi SMW Widescreen 11 Years of N

In the first installment of our Super Mario World deep-dive miniseries, Derek Yu (Spelunky) and Maddy Thorson (Celeste) join us to talk about our personal histories with the game, its iconic world map and multi-layered secrets, and all sorts of Mario ephemera in-between. Show notes: Super Mario World Derek Yu Maddy Thorson Ep. 75: Finding our Intersection Tastes Kaizo Mario SMW as an "athletic game" Atheltic Theme The Wizard (1989) Mario death sprite How to get 50+ lives in SMW LOVE

We celebrate Sarah Elmaleh as a permanent new member of the cast! Yay Sarah! We also announce the next Into the Depths series, dive into some wildly different topics du jour, and answer your questions! Show notes: Sarah Elmaleh Super Mario World "King Me": A Defense of King-Making in Board Game Design Shut Up & Sit Down Root review Line Goes Up - The Problem with NFTs Wordle The Saturday Paper - Wordle Wordles of the World Lingo UK Wordle as poetry generator The Wreck The Red Lantern The Beatles: Get Back Pokemon Red Blinfolded Sekiro run OODA loop Games Done Quick Hanabi

Frank and James Lantz of Everybody House Games join us to discuss their tactical word-slinging free-for-all, Babble Royale. We discuss the built-in texture of language, reconsidering elegance, and why not: we phone a few friends for some live rounds of Hey Robot. Show notes: Frank Lantz James Lantz Everybody House Games Hey Robot Babble Royale Babble Royale beginner's guide Babble Royale advanced guide Chris Hecker Scrabble Wordle Typeshift Nethack A Wizard of Earthsea Wordnik Starcraft: Brood War Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Wavelength

Recurring GOTY guest / immersive puzzle designer Laura E. Hall joins Sarah Elmaleh and the rest of our crew to count down our Top 5 games of 2021, alongside picks from previous guests and our listeners. Happy New Year! Show notes: Laura E. Hall Planning Your Escape The Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg Ynglet 101% Completion Guide Find Satoshi Laura's Animal Crossing: New Horizons Dream Code: DA-9271-2414-8564 Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS): Zach: Monster Hunter RiseDeath's DoorMetroid FusionWordleHalo Infinite Sarah:Mass Effect (1) Legendary EditionWildermythThe Maze on Planet 7 (streaming)It Takes TwoKentucky Route Zero Nick:Sea of ThievesElecheadIt Takes TwoGuardians of the GalaxyInscryption Doug: Survivor, South Africa, Season 8Ynglet Learned LeagueAlien (folk game)Factions (Discord game by Doug) Andy:Ynglet (Skee Mask - Pool)Unpacking (Porter Robinson - Nurture)Kentucky Route Zero (Low - HEY WHAT)Inscryption (Squid - Bright Green Field)Babble Royale (Madlib - Sound Ancestors) Laura:The Forgotten CityValheimPursuit of the Assassin ArtistInscryptionUnpacking

Witch Beam's Wren Brier and Tim Dawson join us to discuss their cozy zen puzzle game, Unpacking. We chat about the origins of its subtle narrative, living life on the grid, and the generous details that make it feel like home. Show notes: Witch Beam Assault Android Cactus Unpacking Wren Brier Tim Dawson Stugan Aseprite Making Generous Games with Terry Cavanagh The UI Artist's Survival Kit Cohesion is Key: Art Direction for Indies

Daniel Mullins (Pony Island, The Hex) joins us to discuss his inky black card-based odyssey, Inscryption. We discuss [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]. Just go play it, then come back and listen. Thanks also to our guest co-host Star St. Germain! Show notes: Daniel Mullins Games Inscryption Pony Island The Hex Daniel's Itch Page Star St. Germain Magic: The Gathering Arena Slay the Spire Boss Fight Books - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Buddy Simulator 1984 Hidden my game by mom Sam Barlow ARG video with Daniel Masquerade book Borg vs McEnroe

Our old pal and Spelunky creator Derek Yu stops by to discuss his helpful blog post on how to think about feedback on your game. We discuss sympathetic vs unsympathetic feedback, thinking about feedback across your entire creative practice, and why feedback can be valuable beyond the content itself. Show notes: Derek Yu Indie Game Dev: Getting Feedback Osmos Creativity, Inc. One Night Ultimate Werewolf Slay the Spire: Metrics Driven Design and Balance Lil' Dozer Playtesting: Avoiding Evil Data Hannah Nicklin on Critical Response r/DestoryMyGame

ElecHead creator NamaTakahashi joins us to discuss his inventive puzzle-platformer, one of our favorites in years. We discuss the indie scene in Japan, making a game about secrets, and how to avoid players getting too "full" on your game. Big thanks to Chao from Asobu for translation help! Show notes: NamaTakahashi Indie Brains podcast (Japanese language) ElecHead (also on Steam) Chao Zen Makers Fund Asobu Branching Paths Archipel Enhance Experience Celeste VVVVVV NamaTakahashi profile video Downwell Toki Tori 2

We're joined by Asher Vollmer (Threes) to discuss the mouse-bouncing adventure Beast Breaker, the debut game from his studio Vodeo Games. We discuss the perils of overscoping, scaling up (and back down), and building a studio ethos. Show notes: Asher Vollmer Vodeo Games Threes IndieCade Awards Royals holedown Ballz BBTan Monster Hunter The Witcher A Playful Production Process

Craig D. Adams (Superbrothers A/V) and Patrick McAllister (Pine Scented Software) join us as they embark on the release of their interstellar adventure JETT: The Far Shore. We cover its 10+ year development, telling a small piece of a big story, and assembling the right squad to help land it. Show notes: JETT: The Far Shore Superbrothers A/V Pine Scented Software Fatal Inertia Sworcery ARG? Jim Guthrie scntfc MotorStorm: Pacific Rift Monster Hunter Fumito Ueda Ralph McQuarrie 17-BIT Getting Things Done

Variable State co-founders Jonathan Burroughs, Terry Kenny, and Lyndon Holland pop by to chat about their supernatural anthology drama Last Stop. We discuss capturing London through its details, telling an interconnected story across multiple genres, and the importance of pacing. Show notes: Variable State Virginia Last Stop Hannah Nicklin Attack the Block Fleabag Firewatch Thirty Flights of Loving Primer timeline Dunkirk

We're joined by Anne Austin and Nate Austin of Worldwalker Games to explore their charming myth-making tactical RPG, Wildermyth. We dig into the challenges of procedural storytelling, clever ways of handling time passage and death, and capturing a tabletop feel without the table. Show notes: Wildermyth Worldwalker Games AI-Driven Dynamic Dialog through Fuzzy Pattern Matching The Thing (video game) The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 (board game) Descent: Journeys in the Dark XCOM Spirit of the Century

Graham Parkes and Bela Messex of GoodbyeWorld Games join us to discuss their beautiful, blink-controlled adventure through the afterlife, Before Your Eyes. We discuss the benefits of disempowerment, working off faith in technology, and teaching players to let go. Show notes: Before Your Eyes GoodbyeWorld Games Graham Parkes Bela Messex Little Bug Close Your Blendo Games Walter Murch's In the Blink of An Eye Death of a Salesman C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce Where You Are short film

We chat to Umurangi Generation's Tali Faulkner about his (IGF grand prize-winning!) "first-person photography game in the sh*tty future." We discuss keeping scope small while having a lot to say, the role of respectful design and Indigenous knowledge, and positioning players to see for themselves. Show notes: Tali Faulkner Umurangi Generation Sarah Elmaleh Shooting the Apocalypse by Jini Maxwell Freeplay Parallels 2020 talk Neon Genesis Evangelion British nuclear tests at Maralinga ThorHighHeels' OST Umberto Eco's UR-FASCISM

For our 75th episode special, we endeavor to find which games lie at the intersection of our tastes, talking through our ranking algorithm and counting down our top 22 games. Thanks for all the support so far! Show notes: Sportsfriends Knytt StepMania 0SPACE The Little Prince Let's Mosey: A Slow Translation of Final Fantasy VII Chrono Trigger by Michael P. Williams Chrono Trigger Mixtape Losing Your Grip: Futility and Dramatic Necessity in Shadow of the Colossus Arcane Kids Manife$to Kaizo Mario TENNNES TENORI-ON Our Top 22 (SPOILERS): 10th place: Super Puzzle Fighter N++ Katamari Damacy Dance Dance Revolution 9th place: Samurai Gunn 8th place: Everyday Shooter 7th place: Kentucky Route Zero Fez The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 6th place: Super Mario Kart Super Mario Galaxy Portal Final Fantasy VII Doom 5th place: Mario 64 Drop7 Desert Golfing Chrono Trigger 4th place: Shadow of the Colossus 3rd place: Spelunky 2 2nd place: Spelunky HD 1st place: Super Mario World

The second special episode originally created in partnership with AMC Games for the in-flight entertainment of Airplane Mode, a very literal flight simulator. We chat about ritual in games, rethinking our relationship to time, and bringing it to bear on our own work and play. Show notes: Lifeline... Shadow of the Colossus Tharsis Star Trek: Discovery The Castles of Burgundy Lost Cities Desert Bus Pippin Barr's Durations Marina Abramović's The Artist is Present Zach's Transit Meditation San Andreas Deer Cam Dishonored Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Discovery Tour Grand Theft Auto Pacifist The Traveling Swordsman Problem Nick's Thanksgiving Blade Triptych Casey Reas' Processing How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy Delayed Response: The Art of Waiting From the Ancient to the Instant World The Great British Bake Off Apex Legends VESPER.5 Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP Brandon Sanderson

Aconite founders Star St. Germain and Nadya Lev and lead designer Scott Jon Siegel join us to discuss their beautiful, mixed reality mind bender HoloVista. We chat about embracing hidden object game design, telling personal stories through a lens of social media, and subverting the selfie museum. Show notes: HoloVista Star St. Germain Nadya Lev Scott Jon Sigel Aconite Coilhouse The Fallen Cosmos SFZero Journey to the End of the Night Ian Bogost Jane McGonigal Gardens of Time How Return of the Obra Dinn Works Mariode Blake Kathryn Nour: Play With Your Food Andrew Morgan Andi Hegedus MTV Cribs Meow Wolf teamLab Museum of Ice Cream Strix Cory O'Brien LiveJournal Sara Carr Mesmer & Braid: The Alternate Reality Game Steve Peters Nick Tierce

Jakub Wasilewski of Beetlewing joins us to talk about his new grand-yet-bite-sized space strategy game, Slipways. We discuss game feel as inspiration, breaking your game for fun and profit, and limiting your universe to expand your audience. Show notes: Jakub Wasilewski Beetlewing Slipways PICO-8 Indie Fund Celeste hearthstone Pocket-Run Pool Twilight Imperium Teomachia (Jakub's board game) Master of Orion Magic: The Gathering SpellTower Slay the Spire Tom Francis

Evan Anthony and Jeremy Abel of Feral Cat Den join us to discuss their inspired cosmic adventure game, Genesis Noir. We discuss the aesthetics of interaction, processing your game launch, and shooting for the stars with your ending. Show notes: Feral Cat Den Evan Anthony Jeremy Abel Genesis Noir Vectorpark Hohokum GNOG Cosmicomics Reaktor Florence Skillbard Oikospiel Inside Busby Berkeley Rez Marcin Zeglinski Interstellar L.A. Noire Wabi-sabi Kintsukuroi

Die Gute Fabrik's Studio Lead Hannah Nicklin joins us to discuss her writing and narrative design work on their sublime mutant soap opera, Mutazione. We discuss working with time and an ensemble cast to create a story with "multiple middles," embracing the scars of a lengthy development cycle, and the best bikes in video games. Show notes: Hannah Nicklin Die Gute Fabrik Mutazione Into the Depths: The Music of Mutazione - Part 1 Divised theater Grey's Anatomy Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Narrative Design Sliding Doors Multiple Middles & Mutazione Kentucky Route Zero Critical Response Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft N+1 a bike/game zine Sokpop's Digital Bird Playground

We sit down with Creative Producer Ben Wilson to discuss the thrilling cooperative trick-taking game The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, and how the game builds on and subverts precedents like Spades and Bridge. Show notes: Ben Wilson Wizard Jam Spelunky Dare Challenge Bot Trick-taking games The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine The Crew - A Card Game for Everyone Skat Hearts Spades Bridge Zach's Grit Bourre Hanabi The Perfect Game of Hanabi Ha Ha Ha! game Codenames #remoteplay: Playing in a Pandemic, Part 2

In the final installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we sit down with two of its creators - Jake Elliott and Ben Babbitt - to discuss the origins of their collaboration, drawing from influences beyond games, and the process of working on such a long-term project. Show notes: Kentucky Route Zero Jake Elliott Ben Babbitt Stephanie Boluk Patrick LeMieux Sarah Elmaleh A House in California KRZ Kickstarter Pillars and Tongues Dog and Bone are Friends Jon Cates Critcal Artware Demoscene Ableton .microsound Magic Matrix Mixer Mountain Sidequest The Museum of Jurassic Technology Jorge Luis Borges Balloon Diaspora

Gloam Collective's Min-Taylor Bai-Woo and Damian Sommer join us to chat about their thrilling new turn-based fighter Bravery Network Online. We discuss the design of its Pokémon-inspired battles, the clever ways in which they replaced randomness, and making friends in the post-post-apocalypse. Show notes: Gloam Collective Min-Taylor Bai-Woo Damian Sommer Bravery Network Online Guillaume Singelin OKAYKELLYK Emily Carroll Pokémon Showdown! droqen Good BNO example match w/ commentary BNO first tournment playlist Daigo Umehara Star Wars: Destiny Magic: The Gathering - Commander Final Fantasy Tactics Splatoon Yomi Umurangi Generation PATH

In the fifth installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we broadcast our thoughts on the Un Pueblo De Nada interlude, before prowling our way through Act V and our closing thoughts on the game. Show notes: Kentucky Route Zero Stephanie Boluk Patrick LeMieux Sarah Elmaleh Alice Munro - Dear Life Clara Rockmore - The Art of the Theramin Clara Rockmore - The Swan Brian Rotman: Signifying Nothing - The Semiotics of Zero Bob Moog WEVP-TV transmedia videos Sandin Analog Image Processor Our Town Jenny Odell - How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy How to unlock the bonus interlude Noah Caldwell-Gervais - Notes From Along Kentucky Route Zero Robert Frost - The Death of a Hired Man Orthographic projection Projective Geometry Haruki Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Can't Tell Me Nothing with Zach Galifianakis HQ Walt Whitman - Song of Myself, Verse 52 Nabokov and spirals Jon Cates Metal Gear Solid 3, I Love You With All My Heart Jordan Youngblood "Is Metal Gear's Rectum a Digital Grave?: Queer Trauma and Failure in the Metal Gear Solid Series." Panel on Queer Failure. Queerness and Games Conference. University of Berkeley. 24-26 October 2013

Echodog Games' Dyala Kattan-Wright joins us to discuss their wildly unique and wonderful narrative card game Signs of the Sojourner. We chat about the process of developing the game's innovative dialogue system, its surprising effects on player experience, and why sometimes you just can't go home again. Show notes: Eggplant Patreon Dyala Kattan-Wright Echodog Games Signs of the Sojourner Slay the Spire Ascension: A Case Study in Deckbuilding Games Friday Consentacle Fog of Love Hanabi Hearthstone Dream Quest 80 Days Arkham Horror: The Card Game Signs of the Sojourner Original Soundtrack

In the fourth installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we dial in our thoughts on the Here and There Along the Echo interlude, before bringing our insight to bear on the brittle facts of Act IV. With guest co-hosts Stephanie Boluk, Patrick LeMieux, and Sarah Elmaleh! Show notes: Kentucky Route Zero Stephanie Boluk Patrick LeMieux Sarah Elmaleh Limits and Demonstrations Little Berlin installation Sarah's Part 3 Twitter thread Karl Marx, Capital Vol. III Karl Marx, The Fragment on Machines Museum of Jurassic Technology Lee Tusman Richard Lemarchand, Attention Not Immersion Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (Will Oldham), I See a Darkness Kelly Reichardt, Old Joy Martin Deny, Exotica Audiogames.net Kenji Eno, Real Sound: Kaze No Regret Sound of Metal Nomadland Gabriel A. Radvansky et al., Walking Through Doorways Causes Forgetting Andre Bazin, Ontology of the Photographic Image Sigmund Freud, The Uncanny

A special episode originally created in partnership with AMC Games for the in-flight entertainment of Airplane Mode, a very literal flight simulator. We chat with its creator Hosni Auji about the challenges and benefits of simulating the mundane, our strangely poignant experiences with the game, and our personal flight etiquette. Show notes: Airplane Mode Hosni Auji AMC Games F.E.E.D. Zero Age NYU Game Center Incubator Gone Home The Twilight Zone - Nightmare at 20,000 Feet BLAH airlines Captain Bennet Foddy

In the third installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we take a seat for The Entertainment interlude, before exploring the physical manifestation of debt in Act III. With recurring guest co-hosts Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux, and bonus guest Sarah Elmaleh! Show notes: Kentucky Route Zero Stephanie Boluk Patrick LeMieux Sarah Elmaleh Giving Games a Voice with Sarah Elmaleh Resonance game The Consolidated Power Company The Entertainment paperback Maxim Gorky, The Lower Depths Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan Eugene O'Neill, The Iceman Cometh The Last of Us Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot Julee Cruise, Rockin' Back Inside My Heart on Twin Peaks Colossal Cave Adventure Junebug, Too Late to Love You Vannevar Bush, As We May Think Steve Russell et al., Space War! Joseph Weizenbaum, Eliza/Doctor Eliza Douglas Engelbart, The Mother All Demos Ted Nelson, Computer Lib/Dream Machines Roberta and Ken Williams, Mystery House David Graeber, Debt: The First 5000 Years IF titles: the next generation of generation

Game historian and documentarian Summoning Salt joins us to discuss the world of speedrunning, the process behind his deep-dive videos that unpack its most exciting moments, and the ineffable magic that makes some classic games so beautifully broken. Show notes: Summoning Salt Home - We're Finally Landing Breaking World Records with Kinnijup and ix The Quest for 1 Million Subscribers Games Done Quick SS's speedrun.com records The Quest to Beat Matt Turk The History of Wii Sports Resort Golf World Records Jon Bois Tim Rogers' Action Button Summoning Salt Patreon The History of Contra World Records Mario Kart 64: The Quest for World Record Perfection Video Game History Foundation World Record Progression: Half-Life 2 Andy's latest EP

In the second installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we marinate in the Limits & Demonstrations interlude, before navigating the Zero to Act II to tackle bureaucracy, bears, and the recurring question: are we inside, or are we outside? Show notes: Kentucky Route Zero Stephanie Boluk Patrick LeMieux Nam Jun Paik, Random Access Edward Packard, UFO 54-40 Museum of Other Realities KRZ Fulltext Jack Burnham, Software Catalogue Eddie Shanken, "The House that Jack Built" Le Corbusier, "Five Points of Architecture" The Jejune Institute SCP Foundation Robert Frost, "Two Tramps in Mud Time" Robert Frost, "Death of the Hired Man" Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves Rene Magritte, The Blank Signature Marie Foulston, Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt

Actor, advocate, and consultant Sarah Elmaleh (Afterparty, Anthem, Gone Home) joins us to discuss her craft across myriad game roles, the connections between voiceover and design, and using your voice to fight for equity and connectedness. Show notes: Sarah Elmaleh Eggplant Podcast Community Game Jam Void Protocol Babycastles Behind the Voice Dominic Armato Afterparty Anthem Gears 5 Superbowl spot Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy A Play of Bodies Hades Disco Elysium Johann Sebastian Joust Lifeline Earplay: Jurassic World Revealed SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Agreement Pyre Star Wars Twitter thread Gamedev.world IndieCade 2020 Awards

In the first installment of our Kentucky Route Zero miniseries, we meet our guest co-hosts, with whom we put Act I's opening scene under a microscope, discuss the game's novel dialogue system, and dive deep into the first batch of its many intertextual references. Show notes: Stephanie Boluk Patrick Lemieux Kentucky Route Zero Cardboard Computer A House in California Metagaming book Mutazione Designing for Mystery in KRZ GDC talk Dear Esther Fluxus Grapefruit Successful Reflective Choices in Interactive Narrative Colossal Cave Adventure Where the Water Tastes Like Wine Recoding Gender: Women's Changing Participation in Computing Playing with Feelings: Video Games and Affect Game of Life Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave One Hundred Years of Solitude A Pedestal, A Table, A Love Letter: Archaeologies of Gender in Videogame History Hundred Thousand Billion Poems 1976: Adventure Mathematical Theory of Communication New Media Reader

Daniel Helbig of Megagon Industries (Lonely Mountains: Downhill) joins us to discuss the magic behind their pitch-perfect 2019 mountain biking game. We discuss the trials and techniques of their game-defining controls, physics, and camera work, and mastering multifaceted mountains (phew!). Show notes: Eggplant Game Jam Daniel Helbig Megagon Industries Lonely Mountains: Downhill Skiing Yeti Mountain Ski Stunt Simulator Game Feel book Downhill Domination Deep Rock Galactic Ring of Pain

Maddy Thorson (Celeste, TowerFall) joins us to discuss the evolution of their excellent catalog of platformers, how Celeste made them reconsider difficulty, and the benefits of working with a team you can trust. Show notes: Maddy Thorson Celeste Classic 2 Celeste source code Axiom Verge randomizer Spelunky Dare Challenge Bot Maddy's Mario Maker 2 courses Maddy's Super Mario World Remix Twilight Imperium Detransition, Baby book Dreamsnake book Line Rider Andy's first Spelunky 2 Cosmic Ocean run

Narrative Director Xalavier Nelson Jr. joins us fresh from his announcement of Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, the latest in his lengthy list of collaborations. We discuss the methodology behind his prolific oeuvre, the benefits of planning ahead, and how he approaches the unique narrative of a game like Hypnospace Outlaw. Show notes: Xalavier Nelson Jr. Xalavier's Itch.io page Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator Hypnospace Outlaw An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs Guts of Glory Up in the Air Paper Mario: The Origami King Oreskaband Skatune Network

The final installment of a special miniseries produced by developer Die Gute Fabrik, an examination of their wonderful 'mutant soap opera' told through the lens of its music. In this episode, they discuss the rest of the game's Story Mode music, and play some early sketches. Show notes: Die Gute Fabrik Mutazione (Original Game Soundtrack) Alessandro's Spotify playlist of music that influenced Mutazione Nils' Spotify playlist of music that influenced Mutazione

Immersive puzzle designer Laura E. Hall returns for another huge year-end show, as we each count down our Top 5 games of 2020, alongside picks from previous guests and our listeners. Happy New Year! Show notes: Laura E. Hall Planning Your Escape: Strategy Secrets to Make You an Escape Room Superstar Every Game in This City Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS): Laura: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Box One Presented by Neil Patrick Harris Holovista The Room VR: A Dark Matter The Truth About Edith / Cain's Jawbone Zach: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Persona 5 Final Fantasy VII Remake Hearthstone Battlegrounds Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Andy: Spelunky 2 Death Stranding Through the Ages Disco Elysium Outer Wilds Doug: De Mol 2020 season Spelunky 2 Kentucky Route Zero The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine PlayingCards Nick: Ghost of Tsushima Spelunky 2 Astro's Playroom A Short Hike / Lonely Mountains: Downhill Spider-Man: Miles Morales Guest picks: Astro's Playroom Sludge Life Penko Park Deep Rock Galactic Apex Legends Duck Game Hades Cinco Paus Animal Crossing: New Horizons Web Liero Death Stranding Umurangi Generation STALKER: Shadow Over Chernobyl Listener picks: Hades Universal Paperclips Mancala Roundguard Mutazione Blaseball Signs of the Sojourner Tenderfoot Tactics Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ring Fit Adventure Paradise Killer Treachery in Beatdown City

The third installment of a special miniseries produced by developer Die Gute Fabrik, an examination of their wonderful 'mutant soap opera' told through the lens of its music. In this episode, they discuss the creation and iteration of the game's main 'town' music. Show notes: Die Gute Fabrik Mutazione (Original Game Soundtrack) Knytt Stories Sea & Cake